HAMAS HAS TAKEN GAZA BACK TO THE STONE AGE:

As Hamas continues to exploit protests to foment violence against Israel, finding a way to help the people of Gaza in any meaningful way becomes more and more challenging. Israeli has deep concerns about "the idea of swarming across the barrier, a mass of tens of thousands of people too numerous for Israeli soldiers to arrest or even to shoot.” They cite an Israeli colonel’s explanation that the protesters are "trying to infiltrate into Israel, damage our infrastructure and kill Israelis,” and that Hamas leader Ismail Radwan urged protestors not to fear death, but instead to welcome martyrdom. Many blame Israel, Egypt and/or the Palestinian Authority for the situation in Gaza. Let’s get real about this – Hamas, and its enablers, such as Iran, are squarely to blame for the desperate situation in Gaza. Hamas has consistently put its own destructive priorities above those of Gaza’s weary and increasingly desperate population.

The Israelis have indicated that they want to do more to help the people of Gaza, if they could be assured that additional items they allow into Gaza will not be repurposed into weapons or used to build tunnels to attack Israel. Israel might choose to ease restrictions on travel, if it can be assured that those who are crossing into and through Israel will not commit acts of terrorism or smuggling weapons or cash to be used for terrorism. Egypt could also do more to help the people of Gaza, but Egypt shares the same legitimate security concerns as Israel. Additionally, deep and pervasive donor fatigue has set in. No one wants to spend money building and rebuilding, only to find what they built is damaged or destroyed in yet another conflict. Hamas has managed to bring the people of Gaza nearly back to the Stone Age. What an embarrassment, what a desolation, what a failure. (J.Post)